Not all who wander are lost
by Beck2
Summary: Au original character verse. Danny can't seem to settle down at all sx month after TME, and wonders if leaving the institute isn't the best way to get out of the stagnation that has taken over her life. 9th chapter:Danny is not covert, and a fight
1. Chapter 1

A/N

A new story, back in the first AU verse I created. I figured I was having trouble with the new, so continuing with the old may be the remedy I need. Set six months from the last of the series, Morphos Effect, and starting out a little slow as I get back into the correct mindset, so please forgive the writing of the first chapter. That being said, please enjoy.

* * *

The pigeon blinked back at me as I pulled another cheetoh out.

It was of the speckled black variety, with the unique blank look of pigeons everywhere. It had one purpose on its mind- to, hopefully, make the cheetoh I was holding its own.

I handed over the cheetoh with no comment, and the pigeon quickly started pecking at it.

I sighed and put my head down on the windowsill. The wind was blowing softly, and everything was perfect. The perfect spring day.

I was so damn restless.

Julian was getting big. He was taller than I was now, which never ceased to prey on my mind. He was going to be full grown, and he would live his life apart from me. It had only taken a short year for it to happen. He was perfectly happy, and totally understood his situation. He still told me how much he loved his mother every day. Jaime and he were still great friends. Everyone was happy and getting on with their lives. Six months after getting back from the other world, and everything was back to normal.

I was the only one feeling like I was stagnating.

A few weeks ago I asked Dr. McCoy if he knew the reason I was feeling so restless. He said it might have something to do with migration patterns. All the birds were flying back to the climates they left with the onset of winter, and I might be feeling their urge to move. Maybe.

I patted the head of the pigeon with one finger and got up. It would be lunch soon, and people seem to get worried if I miss meals. They come looking for me, maybe a bit more tentatively than anyone else.

I suppose I deserve it. I do have the habit of wandering off.

Walking down the steps, I saw Scott and Jean discussing lesson plans-they had graduated early, and left Bayville high before the year was over. Professor Xavier decided it was a good time to give them a job teaching the younger students, even if they didn't have a degree. Some of the teachers at Bayville had refused to even teach mutants, and the large gaps in education had to be remedied somehow.

When they saw me, Jean waved and Scott nodded. A smiled at them and kept walking till I got into the kitchen. Lunch was sandwiches. Kurt and Bobby were trying to make super sandwiches, while Amara and Kitty looked on, laughing. I watched them all for a few minutes, then made myself a sandwich with mayonnaise and ham and forced myself to eat it while I watched Kurt try to down a quindecker sandwich before Bobby downed his own.

"You guys are going to get, like, sick!"

"I bet they don't finish them."

"Sho shay ywhos!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Kurt! Like, eww!"

I laughed. Kitty looked surprised for a moment, then laughed too.

A few minutes later, Mr. Logan chased us all out so he could make his own lunch, provided 'two idiots haven't used all the bread' or something to that effect. He was growling at the time.

I wandered outside and sat down by the pool. The pigeon that had been sitting on my windowsill flapped down to see if I had anymore cheetohs.

"I don't have any. I'm sorry."

_No?_

"No."

It hopskipped up to me and jumped on my knee. It began to preen.

_Want cheetoh. No cheetoh, I groom._

"Sure."

It kept grooming.

"Mind if I talk to you for awhile?"

_No._

"So," I mentally checked for people. Rahne and Sam were on the other side of the house, but they were too far away to hear, and everyone else was inside, "I've been feeling kind of restless lately, and I can't figure out why. I keep feeling like nothing I'm doing is good for me. I mean, I'm learning school stuff, and I'm about a year behind now, because of all the time I've gone missing and all, and I know I should learn these things, but I just can't bring myself to do it. What do you think?"

The pigeon looked up at me blankly.

_Don't understand_.

"Sorry. I'm just having a problem figuring out what I should do now. I mean, my future isn't all that great-I'm not athletic. I can't wrangle animals. Well, I could, but I'd never feel comfortable with it. I can't be an animal doctor like my nickname, because I don't think they'll let mutants into veterinary school. And I'd be too involved, anyway. So, I can't figure out what I should do. I can't bring myself to learn my schoolwork, can't figure out what I want to do with my life. I'm stagnating. Sometimes the only thing I think I get up for is to make sure the others don't worry."

_Danny depressed?_

"A little."

_What make happy?_

"I have no clue." I smiled down at the bird. "But thanks for the support. I'll get you some cheetohs later."

_Maybe move?_

"Eh?"

_Move away. Chick grown, already left nest. You move now, too?_

"I don't know. Interesting thought, but where would I go?"

_Where wings go!  
_

"I don't know. Humans and mutants can't just up and leave, you know. We get worried if one of our colony leaves."

The pigeon did a sort of mental shrug, and went back to grooming.

I sighed and looked up at the sky. It was slightly cloudy, with just a hint of dark undertone. Ms. Monroe must be annoyed by something.

I couldn't deny it, the thought of spreading my wings and leaving was alluring. It left me with a feeling of longing. To wander, to see new things, maybe even discover a path that led me to the old friends of another world…the possibilities were endless. But like I said to the bird, leaving wasn't at all easy. My parents would worry. Professor Xavier and the others would want to know where I was going. Julian would want to come, probably.

The pigeon flew off after a few minutes, bored and slightly hungry.

I got up and paced around the pool's edge. I caught myself glancing at the woods nostalgically a few times, and mentally kicked myself.

I really wish the pigeon and I hadn't had that talk, now.

* * *

I tossed under the covers and Doggy whined. He looked at me curiously, head over my shoulder.

"I can't sleep."

He whined again.

I struggled to get comfortable and go to sleep again. Five minutes later, I blearily glanced at a clock on the wall.

Eleven forty-two PM.

Damn pigeon and its advice. I never had this much trouble sleeping before.

After four more minutes I savagely kicked off my blankets and rolled onto the floor. It was still slightly cold, so my usual sleeping attire of shorts and a t-shirt was replaced with pajama pants and a long sleeve.

"Let's go for a walk."

Doggy hopped down from his side of the bed and padded out the door with me. I grabbed a jacket on the way out in case it was overly cold.

I put on the jacket and zipped it up by the time we reached the first floor, and held the door open for Doggy to get out. He padded out stealthily while I quietly shut the door behind us.

The grass was slightly wet as my feet pressed down. It felt good, wandering around in the cool night air. The bats were away, having migrated to a warmer temperature, Herman with them. They'd be back any day. The creatures of the woods were gorging themselves, trying to get back the fat they had lost over hibernation.

Everybody had something to do.

I frowned at the thought and its unspoken ending: _except me_.

Before I realized what was happening, I had begun to argue with myself.

"Are you going to feel sorry for yourself or are you going to do something about your situation?.. What can I do? It's not as if I can leave everything and go off on a jaunt across the US… OH, like that stopped you before. I can name at least four times that happened… That was different, it wasn't in my control… Well, that's not right either, because I agreed I would take more control of my life."

"Doolittle, if you keep that up you'll be eating off a plastic tray for the rest of your life."

Drat. Was so busy arguing with myself I forgot about Mr. Logan.

I turned to face him. "I'm sorry, sir."

"For what?"

I looked up at him with puzzlement. "Aren't you going to yell at me for being out of bed in the middle of the night?"

"Isn't like it hasn't happened before. If I thought it would help, you would have stopped a long time ago. Now what's the problem, Doolittle?"

"Just having a bit of soul searching, sir."

"There aren't two of them, are there?"

"No sir, just one."

We were silent for a moment. Then I asked him, "Why are you up?"

"Night rounds. Can't be too careful."

"I see." I nodded.

"You never answered my question."

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out to clear my head. Hey, Mr. Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever just get the urge to drop everything and wander off?"

He snorted with laughter. "You ain't got a clue, kid." He stopped then. "Why? You do?"

"Yeah. I just can't seem to focus, you know? Feels like everything is moving without me. I'm beginning to turn into melancholy furniture."

"Melancholy…furniture?" He rose an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah," There was no stopping it now. The confession was running wild. "I was talking to a pigeon this afternoon, and it said some really intelligent things, and it's been bothering me all night."

"A pigeon said something intelligent to you…"

"And I can't help but that I should take its advice because that's what I really want to do, but I can't just leave everything, because if I do everyone will worry, and I still worry about Julian even though he'll be full grown in another six months and off to do his own thing…"

"You're taking advice from a bird."

"But if I don't leave, I'm afraid I will just be unbearable and I won't be able to stay here if I wanted to, even if I tried my hardest, and-"

"Alright, ALRIGHT! Cripes, this is the longest you've ever spoken to me, Doolittle."

"Sorry."

"First off, yeah, I get the urge to wander. And if there's people that get left behind, then I know I got somebody to come back to. Second, you ain't furniture. Third, I could care less who you get advice from, but personally, pigeons ain't even on my list, okay?"

"Yes sir."

"You talked to the Professor about this?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm afraid he'll order me to stay. And then I'll have to go against his orders and I may not be welcome here anymore."

"It ain't gonna go that far." He said, rolling his eyes. "You're overreactin'. Look, just go talk to Chuck. In the meantime, get your rear end back inside and go to sleep before I assign you extra practices so you do sleep at night. Okay?"

"Yes sir." I sighed and turned to go. I really wasn't all that convinced, but I really didn't want to do practices either.

I just hope that a talk with Professor Xavier is all I really need.

* * *

Please leave reviews on the way out, as always, and constructive criticisms are freely embraced. 


	2. On the Homefront

A/N

Just because I keep forgetting about putting up disclaimers, here it is : Company of Marvel owns the X-men. I own all ideas of original characters besides. And, of course, this work. Sorry for not writing sooner, I've gotten a joband I was trying to get into the groove before attempting to have too much on my plate. I think it'll be okay, though. I should start updating a little more frequently, and I'm going to start a new original story at fictionpress soon, if nothing happens to stall me. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"How long have you felt this way?" 

"It started a few weeks after we got back from the other world."

"I see. And can you tell me how long you planned to keep this a secret from me?"

Professor Xavier looked over the desk at me, waiting for my response.

"I didn't want to bother anyone about it." I said, focusing on a particular spot of the wood grain.

"Danny, you are a part of this household whether you feel the desire to leave or not. That is not going to change. It isn't as if you were the first mutant that wished to leave this place. I only worry about what will happen to you when you do. You're not even eighteen yet."

"I know."

"Maybe what you need is just a change of surroundings. It's been awhile since you've seen your family, why don't you go visit them?"

I considered that for a minute. All my brothers and sisters would be older now. I suppose I should make an appearance so they wouldn't forget me. But, somehow, I don't think that will help my present situation all that much.

"That sounds really great Professor."

He rose an eyebrow at me. "Then you'd better go get packed. I'll tell Logan to get the X-jet checked."

"So soon?"

"There isn't anything that needs to be done here at the moment." He gestured to his clean desk. "And if you feel this would be good for you then we should do what we can to make you feel comfortable again."

"Thank you." I got up to go.

"Danny."

"Yes sir?"

"Please, please try to stay out of trouble."

"I'll do my best sir."

I hurried out of the office and went to my room. I patted Doggy on the head while I packed a bag of clothes.

"Mum?"

"Hello Julian. Back already?"

"Too many humans, me and Jaime had to come back. Where are you going?"

"To visit my parents." I turned around and then craned my head back. For a little tot that I could carry around in my arms without trouble a year ago, he sure had filled out quickly. "Try not to cause too much trouble while I'm gone?"

He lifted one ear while studying me. "Mum, are you unhappy?"

I looked him straight back in the eye. "Yes. But it's not because of you or anyone else. I just need something that I don't know about yet."

He nodded. "Is Doggy going with you?"

"Yes. You'd better keep the twins with you though. I don't know when I'll be back." I shoved the last things into the bag. I'd always been a pretty light packer.

Julian looked slightly sad for a moment. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. "We all leave at some time. It won't be like I won't come back, so don't you worry about it. Besides, if I know you're here, I'll have all the more reason to return. Be good, Julian."

"Okay Mum. I love you."

"I love you too." I released his neck and grabbed my bag, shouldering it. "Don't let Kurt eat all the cookies. Make sure you get your fair licks in too."

He grinned and slipped to the side to let me through. Doggy padded out after me. I went down the stairs only to see the rest of the household sans Mr. Logan standing in the lobby.

"Hey, we heard you were like, going on a vacation!" Kitty chirped as I reached the foot of the stairs. "So we came to wish you luck! Of course, you'll be back in like, a few weeks, so it's probably not necessary, but you know!"

"I do?"

Snorts and giggles filled the room as Kitty tried to explain herself. After awhile, I got a goodbye from everyone and they wished me good luck on my trip.

I hope their luck isn't wasted.

* * *

It was a short trip, all things considered, and I soon found myself being hugged and made over by my mother _(I'm so happy to see you!)_ and patted on the head by Dad _(I think you got shorter, sweetie!)_. The sisters and brother gave me tentative hugs, nervous at seeing their older sister again in so long. 

It feels wrong, somehow.

Mr. Logan went off as soon as he saw I was fine. He had to go back to the Institute to take care of things there _(Don't get into trouble)_.

We all ate dinner, we talked about lots of things. Jared made a pretty picture of a house. I was in it, but I was standing outside with a shovel in a stance that looked like I was threatening the old willow tree. I don't think he got over the rattler incident. The twins are always getting A-marks in their grades, and the other kids are doing much the same. My older siblings were successful in their endeavors.

I'm still stagnating.

"Honey, are you okay?"

I jerked quickly out of my thoughts. "Yeah. I'm fine, mom. Just drifting off for a second."

"I see." She was looking at me closely then. I returned the look, and she blinked. I looked back down at the food. Chicken Cordon Bleu, good stuff. Too bad I lost my appetite.

"It was a long trip." I intoned to anyone listening. "I'm kind of tired. Can I go to bed?"

"Of course honey. I was just saying to your dad that you weren't looking especially well."

I got up without a word and went back to my room. Doggy was on the floor, sleeping away. I stepped over him and sunk down onto my old bed without getting undressed.

Doggy had it easy. Even though he was bigger than when he left, the siblings still recognized him and loved over him. They were wary around me.

I pushed everything out of my mind and tried to sleep.

* * *

It was black and gold. 

It moved like a deer, but it couldn't be one. Not with that coloring. It had gold hooves, gold horns. Its pelt was so black it was as if it was part of the shadows.

I watched from above. I watched as it picked its way through the grass gingerly. It was so silent-it left no trace on the ground and not one sound to my ears. I didn't even know if I had ears. For some reason, that thought didn't seem to matter.

It kept moving. Now it was moving towards me. I could barely make out the shape of the head, the eyes set in that black fur.

Blue on blue. Why is that thought so familiar?

_And why is it that I'm having a craving for bugs?_

I bolted upright in bed and almost fell off.

"Ugh…" I rubbed my eyes. "That was weird."

Doggy looked up at me and cocked his head to the side.

"I think I might have gotten some stray thoughts from some place. Probably a bird. Or a shrew. I'm not sure."

Doggy whined.

"I'm fine. It was just weird. I think they might have been dreaming and I caught their dream. I mean, Bobby once iced his room over in his sleep. Kitty phased through the ceiling. Jean once made a clock in the hall go flying into Jubilee's door. Remember that? It was after she went to bed angry when she had that fight with Scott. Heh. Professor Xavier told her she was never allowed to go to sleep angry again, remember? It's not unheard of to use our powers when we sleep."

Doggy gave a small growl of assent and got up and paced around the room. I looked at the clock on my desk.

Three-thirty a.m.

"I gotta stop these early morning wakeups. C'mon Doggy, let's go walking." I slid out of bed and slipped on my shoes.

I walked silently through the house and went out the backdoor. It was cold outside. I took a deep breath and felt the cold rush into my lungs.

It felt pretty good.

I started walking, and before I knew it I was at the fence. It had become more run down since I'd been gone. I could practically hop over it and wander off into the grasslands beyond.

I have to admit, the thought is pretty luring…

I shook my head. I couldn't go wandering off in the middle of the night and not come back. My parents would have a fit, not to mention everyone back at the Institute.

I stretched my arms a bit then turned to walk back to the house. Doggy trotted beside me, and I scratched his ear.

"I want to go away." I whispered to him. "I can't stand these places anymore. I haven't even been here a day and already I'm thinking about running off in the night."

Doggy stopped to whine.

"It's nothing you can do. I think…Doggy, maybe I should make a decision."

He cocked his head at me.

"Maybe I should leave. I mean, Mom and Dad and everyone are glad to see me, I know, but are they happy with me around? It's not like I can live here, and even if I could, they'd never feel right with me hanging around. I think it's time I left home. Both of them." I added.

He whined again and thumped his tail anxiously.

"You know you're always welcome to come, Doggy."

He barked gruffly. A light went on in the house and Mom poked her head out the window.

"What are you doing out there!" She demanded. "It's freezing! Get back inside."

I looked at her and then back to Doggy.

"I guess…there's no time like the present, hunh?" I walked back into the house. Doggy followed. Mom began to fuss around, making coffee.

"Do you want a cup?"

"I don't drink coffee."

"I know."

The silence dragged for a second.

I opened my mouth to speak.

"Something's bothering you." She said before I could get anything out.

"How could you tell?"

"I'm your mother. I know everything. It's the right of all mothers."

"Then how come I couldn't tell that you knew?" I demanded. She stopped and pressed her lips into a thin line.

"You've been a…mother for a year. To one child. That doesn't give you the right to know everything. That gives you the right to be a teen mother."

"I didn't think you disapproved of Julian that much." I said quietly.

"I don't. I disapprove of you being a mother at sixteen, no matter the circumstances. Now you're over seventeen and you're going to run away." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "I never knew having a mutant child was so hard."

I felt a flicker of rebellion in my chest. "I can't apologize for anything I do."

"As you shouldn't." She poured herself some of the black coffee. "But sometimes I still wish you would."

"When did we get into this conversation?" I asked. "I can't remember ever thinking, 'I think I'll get my mom upset and bring up painful conversation'."

"Don't get snippy." She took a sip of coffee and grimaced. We watched each other for a few more moments. Then she sighed.

"Don't leave just yet. Wait a few days. Then you can…go. If you promise to at least come by and say hello sometime. Inform us that you still live."

It looked so hard for her to say.

"Why are you being so accommodating if it hurts you like this?" I demanded.

"You've been disappearing ever since you were four. We couldn't stop it them and I can't stop it now. When you went quiet those years, I knew that one day you would be gone and it scared me. Now I know you're going and I'm still scared. But I know that you can take care of yourself. You've been doing it since you were four."

"Okay." I felt a lump in my throat. Up and leaving in the middle of the night would have been so much easier. "I'll stay awhile. And then I'll visit from time to time."

"Good."

We said nothing, then she reached out and pulled me into a hug.

"We love you. Try not to forget that when you travel out there."

"I won't. I promise."

Thank you, I thought as I hugged her back.

* * *

Asteria: Thanks for reviewing! I had some trouble getting her started, but I'm hoping that this story will be finished and end well. Heh, I'll try to keep her out of trouble. Cooking college? Is it fun? I'm studying for a science major myself. Can figure out my emphasis yet though.

PrincessOfWildfire: Glad you liked the conversation! So you can relate to the character? That's good! I'll try to keep the story as interesting as possible. And I take it you like Grown Julian since you wrote it down, so thanks about that too!

Arin Ross: A purpose...you know, you're right? The purposes aren't clearly stated in the other ones. I'll try to get it out this time. Hmm...you know, I read how they (pigeons) did the dance, but I've never actually seen it. I can picture it clearer now though. I'm glad you liked the dialogue and the pigeon!

Please leave the reviews in the magical drop down box! And thank you very much for reading!


	3. Wanderlust

A/N

I am so sorry about the wait. Its crunch time for college and I got behind again. I hope that you all haven't been waiting too long. I went ahead and made the chapter a long one. Please enjoy!

* * *

A cold wind blew the edge of my jacket up. I pushed it down with one hand and kept walking. 

Mom and Dad had been on the verge of giving me a car, but I didn't give them time to ask. I think they were relieved. From their point of view, I suppose it was money they needed for my siblings. From mine, nothing raises eyes like a seventeen year old driving cross country. Sadly, not many look at backpackers and runaways. It worked for me, I suppose.

When I left the house, I took the bus ticket Mom and Dad gave to me and cashed it in, heading somewhere back east. I think maybe they were hoping if I went that way I would be drawn back to the Institute.

I had stopped at a station in some little Pennsylvanian town and got off, wandering south in the cold night.

Doggy had not liked the bus trip. Especially when they made him sit in one place the entire trip. Now he was running around in circles, stretching his big limbs.

"Dawn will come soon." I told him. "Where do you think we should go?"

Doggy whuffled and trotted out in front of me. It was obvious he didn't care as long as we were moving.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Slow down! It's cold!"

As I hurried after him, my thoughts began to drift back to the last few days. Mom and Dad had been tense. The children had sensed this tenseness and didn't try to get any closer to me. I felt like the only person in a group that didn't belong. It was a fully alienating experience. I don't think I'll feel at home there ever again.

And the institute? I felt at home there for a time, but after awhile, the walls felt so close. The friends were only temporary family. It wasn't home either.

What was home, then? Was Home an idea I never fully developed? Would I find it some day?

"WOOF!"

"Hunh?" I looked up and saw that I was about to trip over a rock. I stepped over it gingerly. "Oops. Thanks, Doggy."

"Rrr." He padded out in front again after giving me an annoyed look.

Maybe Home was something I had to create.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I looked at the horizon. Fake dawn, the light before the real dawn, was shining.

"I wonder where we'll end up."

* * *

"I see…so she did leave, then. I'm sorry to hear that. No, I've made sure she knows that she's welcome back here anytime." Professor Xavier paused for a moment, listening to Danny's mother. "I'm sorry, but I have about as much control over it as you do. There's no way to stop her, short of locking her up, and I know you don't want that and I'm not sure it would work anyway. She's changed, and while we may not think it for the better, it has made her stronger. I had my doubts that she would have stayed around us much more anyway. The only advice I can give is to make her feel welcome when she comes home and hope that it's just a minor phase." 

The rest of the conversation came with polite quickness and he hung up the phone.

"A minor phase, Chuck?" Logan said questioningly from his position at the study door. "I think you may be playing it down a little."

"What can I do? They put their trust in me to teach their children, but when something like this happens everything gets sour."

"If you didn't want it to happen, you shouldn't have put her out there with only her family for company. You know what happens when those kids come back after a long time, especially if the parents weren't all that happy to begin with." Logan pointed out. " 'Sides, isn't like she can't take care of herself. Kid sees as much as you do."

"I know. I had a feeling this would happen though. When we talked I knew she was too far gone for a simple trip home to fix. I just hope she remembers to come back sometime, and that nothing bad happens to her."

Logan didn't say anything about this last, whimsical statement. The fact was that bad things do happen, and they happen to everyone on their own. Danny was going to learn this quick, and whether or not she managed to get through everything with her skin intact would be a decision of time and her. No one else.

* * *

Morning came and lifted the cool air off the ground. It would be sunny. The world was slowly coming to life as voices usually dimmed in sleep stirred to consciousness and set off to do their daily routines. 

Which in some cases was a little bit embarrassing.

_Get away from my tree!_

_Find your own female!_

_She's mine!_

_Nyah! My chest's bluer than yours!_

For a few minutes I had to struggle getting the voices down. They knew they were screaming, and that helped me none whatsoever. Shutting the voices completely out was unlikely, but turning them down in my mental volume was helping.

"I can't believe there's so many birds out. It's not even eight o'clock and they're already acting like Kitty and Lance!"

Doggy made some assenting sound and trotted off. I kept walking ahead. We were in a field, with a fence not far out. I was aiming for the fence-I was hoping to get on the road, maybe find a convenience store with maps that humans could read. Maps made in my head by animals had no human names, or at least none that I could recognize. Only very few came with the actual human name of the city. The rest named the cities in a sort of animal slang.

I reached the fence and started to climb over, leaning a little forward so my bag wouldn't topple me.

Something flashed in the corner of my vision. Doggy started baying.

I pushed myself over the fence hard, landed on my shoulder, and rolled to a crouch to see—

Absolutely nothing.

Doggy was starting to howl now. Whatever it was would have to be still around. I ducked down and opened my mind to all of the voices.

Doggy had scared most of them into silence, but their eyes were still working, and I started absorbing as much info as I could.

Still nothing.

Doggy hopped over the fence and stood, tail puffed out and hackles raised, waiting for something I couldn't see.

"Where do you think it went?" I whispered.

Doggy looked at the field between openings in the fence and snarled.

"Alright. We just stay away from the field. Come on, let's get out of here." I patted his shoulder and he walked with me, hackles still raised. I moved with my muscles tensed to run. Running was one of the best things I ever learned to do at the Institute, and I had plenty of time to get good at it. There's really not a lot of power in being able to speak with animals, unless that one time with the slime soldier was counted. I hadn't been able to pull it off since-only halfway, being able to see things but not all things, and never getting the information in fast enough to move. Ray almost fried me once in training because I hadn't been moving fast enough.

Doggy was still tense by the time we reached the edge of the field property. He kept glancing balefully behind him.

I wonder what he saw that got him so nasty? None of the other animals saw it, and the only reason they were scared was because Doggy had a big, booming voice. I would be scared too, if he was barking at me.

I don't blame him though. I've had enough dealings with freaky moving shadows and things moving out of the corner of my vision to know not to take lightly of things anymore.

Of course, the last moving shadow was…him.

I turned and looked behind me. Doggy gave a sharp bark of surprise at the sudden stop.

I scanned the horizon looking for anything that would give me a hint or a sign that it was that annoying, strange person from the other world…

"DANNY!"

I screamed in surprise. Doggy whipped around so fast I thought he was going to snap his neck.

I turned fast, ready to punch out whoever had snuck up on me…

And came face to face with laughing blue on blue eyes.

A deer? No, no, a person.

"My darling! I didn't think I would see you again! You don't call, write, or…could you call off your puppy? I know I'm fatally beautiful in every respect, but he's not allowed a souvenir."

"Doggy!" I leaned down and patted his shoulders. He stopped trying to sink his teeth into the man's miscellaneous body parts.

I looked back up. The man was smiling that smile. That infuriatingly innocent smile that told me he was up to no good.

He was blonde, with a kind of natural spike to his hair. He was only a few inches taller than me, and he stood a little close for comfort while at the same time practically daring Doggy to bite him just by leaning into my personal space. He was dressed simply, a white long sleeved button up over a black shirt, pants, and shoes.

"I just knew you would save me." He said coyly.

"What are you doing here Dex?" I said, stepping back. Doggy immediately tried to fill the space, but Dex was too fast and managed to get even closer to me.

Doggy gave him a menacing growl. Dex ignored him.

"Can't I come and see the very pretty girl I helped save the world with that time?"

"We didn't save the world."

"My old boss would say differently."

"Your old boss?"

"Hunh?"

"You just said, 'my old boss'. So you were working for that guy in the hood!"

"I was not. I don't work for anyone, ever. I really don't see how you come up with these things, pretty one."

"You know what?"

"What?" He asked, leaning in. His nose was barely an inch from mine.

"You're a real piece of work. I'm leaving." I walked around him and began going down the road.

Doggy growled again and I glanced to the side to see that Dex had situated himself between us. He gave Doggy a sly grin before turning to me.

"You really want to know why I'm here?" He asked me.

"Nope." I said, keeping my eyes straight ahead.

"Yes you do."

"No."

"I can see it in those gorgeous eyes of yours."

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"It's just the heat from the sun."

"Yes." He remarked, looking around. "I feel it too. It gets worse when I'm around you. Must be the great love I feel in my heart for you."

"You're incorrigible."

"I know. But say you love me anyway and I'll be your faithful pawn!"

"Will you stop saying things like that!" I whirled around to face him. "People don't talk to me like that here!"

"That's good! I won't have any competition."

"You are so-"

"Why did you leave that other place you were living?" He asked before I could go onto my tangent.

I struggled to get my brain back on track. "I just…needed a new place." I turned quickly and walked down the road. It took me less than a second to realize I was going the wrong way. When I turned around again, Dex was back in my personal space.

"Will you please back off?" I glowered at him.

He seemed to be examining my face for a moment. Then he shrugged and moved to the side, giving me a little bow.

"Thank you." I hurried on. Dex fell in step beside me, once again situating himself between me and Doggy. Doggy gave him a snarl and padded to the other side so he could be close to me.

"So where are you headed?" Dex asked cheerfully.

"This way." I said, pointing down the road.

He made a theatrical gasp. "Imagine! That's my path as well. Well, it wouldn't be good for a pretty girl like you to be walking alone, so I'll walk with you."

"I don't think that's necessary. I have Doggy."

"Damn. A rival for your affection."

"Keep on saying things like that and I'll forbid you from following me." I warned. To my absolute surprise he actually did stop, and even sulked a bit. "Er…you know, I'm not trying to be mean to you, it's just that people don't talk to me like that."

"Maybe they should start." He said, quickly turning his sulk into a big smile.

I felt the blush in my cheeks again. I made a point to move ahead of him and ignore whatever he said.

I just hope he doesn't try to pull anything while he's here.

* * *

Please leave your reviews! 

PrincessofWildfire: Oh dear. I think your review got chopped up again. Oh well, thank you for reviewing anyway! Hope you like the chapter!

Arin Ross: Hmm…well, she's not off to join Magneto or anyone else. She's forging her own path now. I hope you like the chapter! Oh, and thanks for rereading. I know I'm still working on my style, but it helps to have people give me lots of feedback. I hope I can pull off a purpose for this story that works, and I hope you keep reading!

Thank you for reading!


	4. Rainy day

A/N

I'm going to try updating more often now that I'm out of college for a few weeks. It gets kind of serious in the end of the chapter, with a lot of questions, but I promise to write the answers in due time to the best of my ability.

* * *

"This is certainly…pleasant." The rain was pouring on my head. I could barely see the street for the mist.

"I would have thought you were a rainy day person!" Dex chirped somewhere off to the left.

"Not when it hurts." I winced as a particularly large drop hit my shoulder, leaving a stinging sensation.

Doggy growled angrily at the rain. Or at Dex. I'm not quite sure anymore. The last day and a half had been one long growl for him.

I never would have guessed North Carolina would have so much rain in its sky. Or state. It felt like the Great Lakes had moved south and were pounding down on my head.

I held my bag up over my head while I tried to find a place to take cover. The mist made the path treacherous-the sidewalk sometimes seemed to be part of the road. And cars were having trouble seeing both.

"Do you think this is the normal?" I asked Doggy. He whined back at me. If it was, he didn't think much of it.

"Don't worry, we'll get somewhere…There's a hotel up ahead, look!" I picked up the pace. Doggy followed right with me. Dex…Dex was somewhere. The man could disappear and reappear without prejudice.

But he was good to talk to. Especially when he got off the whole 'you are my love' tangents.

I pushed the door open and kept it open for Doggy to get in. He stepped soggily into the hotel. It was nice. Rich. Which probably explained why the man at the counter was glaring at my dog and looking at me in distaste.

"Can I help you?" He asked me.

"Probably not." I told him honestly.

"Then why are you here?" He asked in annoyance.

I looked at him for a second, and then turned to look at the torrent of rainwater pounding against the windows.

"Don't be smart with me, little girl. We don't like your kind here."

"What kind? Short people or girls?"

I can't believe he got in without me knowing.

The counter man spluttered as he looked at Dex, who was looking up at him in genuine interest.

"How did you get in?" The man demanded.

Dex looked at him quizzically, then, mimicking me perfectly, turned to look at the windows.

"You came in through the window!" The counter man gasped.

"Don't be silly. That's undignified. I came in through the door when you were talking with her." He pointed at me.

"Then why did you look at the window?"

"Everyone was, I didn't want to be left out."

I let my forehead fall into my hand.

"WAIT!" Dex yelled suddenly, making everyone jump. He turned accusingly to the man. "You never answered my question. Well?"

By now, the poor man had gotten so flabbergasted that all he could get out was, "Well what?"

"Which kind don't you like? Short people or girls?"

The man looked at me. "Is he with you?"

I looked at Dex. Somehow, in all this rain, he only came out moderately damp. He had that smile on his face while he looked from me to the other man.

"Sometimes I wonder." I said hopelessly. Then, shaking my head, I told him yes. He then proceeded to inform me that unless I had money, he would be kicking me, Dex, and my dog straight to the curb.

Only not so few words and some pompous interjections about Dex that seemed to fly totally over his head. Unless you watched his eyes. His eyes understood everything.

"Can't we just stay in the lobby until the rain stops?" I asked him.

"No. The answer is always no!" He snapped sharply at Dex, who was about to ask him something.

Dex moved away from the man after that. He moved behind me. Not the place I would choose for him. Who knew what he was going to do?

As it turned out, I shouldn't have been worrying about Dex. I should have been focusing on what was happening outside the building.

But animals stay away from rain. I couldn't see a thing.

* * *

"In this world there are two people. Those who have power, and those who want it!" He screamed at his followers. The gang looked up at him hungrily. They wanted power. They wanted his power. But he kept them at bay with a promise for greater power for all.

They were Humans. Humans with a purpose. With a hunger like theirs, not even mutants posed a threat.

That was why tonight was perfect.

"The Rain won't stop us!" he told them. "It can't stop us. No one can."

He turned to look across the street.

"Burn the Hotel."

* * *

First came the smell. It wasn't from my nose. It was from Doggy's. He began growling, and not the halfway annoyed growl he used for Dex. This was a full blown snarl. He was staring at the window, hackles rising.

"Can you control that animal?" The man at the counter asked fearfully.

I ignored him. I opened my mind to try to get more thoughts from Doggy's senses.

Then the gut feeling started. It was a clenching feeling in my stomach, the kind a person feels when an unknown threat begins to approach.

"Something's wrong out there." I whispered to Dex. He stepped back out of my sight.

There was the smell again. I could smell it with my own nose now. It slipped through cracks and permeated the wood around the windows.

I couldn't describe it right away. The smell was too alien and strange by human standards.

Something flashed through my mind, and on instinct I reached out my hand—

**CRASH!**

--and caught something hot.

HOT!

"AH!" I yelled and threw it hard the way it came. It went back through the large hole in the window and broke on something.

Then someone started screaming outside. Right in front of the window, a person shaped flame sprang up out of nowhere.

"Nice shot." Dex said, sounding genuinely impressed.

Animals were perking up in interest outside now. If there was one thing animals are more distasteful of than rain, its fire.

At least ten people. All of them shocked. The eleventh was screaming and trying to put himself out.

Oh.

Uh-oh.

"Dex! Doggy! We gotta go!"

"Why?"

"I just set someone on fire! His pals are gonna come after us!"

"Oh…Alright then."

I made a mental note not to try and ask him how he got so laid-back. This wasn't the time.

**RIIIIIING!**

Fire Alarm. The man behind the counter must have set it off before he booked it. There were doors slamming upstairs.

Outside the men were about to lob more hot objects through the windows. Bottles. Canisters.

The man on fire had put himself out, but he was collapsed on the ground. It looked painful from where the animals were standing.

A little girl hurried into the lobby with her mother. She pointed at Doggy.

"Doggy! Look mommy, a doggy!"

**BOTTLE.**

There was a couch between me and that little girl. I launched myself over it like a marathon runner and reached out both arms, one to push the girl, the other to grab the bottle.

I got the girl.

The bottle broke on my left arm.

It splattered onto my shirt and jacket and caught fire.

It hurt.

I didn't scream. I gritted my teeth as the fire got close to my skin. Instead I yanked off my jacket, then grabbed the edge of my shirt and pulled it off.

The shirt got caught on my arm. The fire burned through the fabric and got onto my skin.

I suddenly knew with dreadful clarity why animals distaste fire so much.

I yowled in pain and clawed the shirt off with my fingernails. I left red scratch marks down my arm, even into the bloody burn.

The bloody hand was burnt, painful to move. Behind me, the screaming girl and her mother were running for a door that must have led to an exit. Glass was breaking in front of me. The gang was coming in. Doggy was at my side, snarling in rage.

It felt so slow. I was standing in nothing but my pants and bra, staring at my hand.

"Get her!" Someone yelled.

Eyes.

"Watch the dog!"

Information.

"Kill them both!"

Like hell.

I swung hard. It connected with the first man's jaw. He was caught off guard.

"Get 'em, Doggy!"

He bayed. The gang members stopped in their tracks. Doggy standing on guard is one thing. Doggy on initiative is whole different can of worms.

He set his shoulder forward and his head down and barreled into the gang. I came in right behind him, taking on anything that he didn't get.

It felt like the other world. Everything was moving so slow, and I could see everything they did. I felt tougher, more able. Even the pain in my arm was dulling. This was the first time since the other world I've been able to tap into this ability like this.

Exhilarating.

In two minutes, the entire lobby was on fire.

In three minutes, the gang members were scrambling for any exit they could find. The fire, Doggy, and I were not what they expected when they set out to raise hell tonight.

Someone seemed to materialize right behind me. Dex clapped his hand on my shoulder.

"If you are done causing various amounts of destruction, I suggest we leave. This place is done for."

"Where have you been?" I asked, surprised at the tone of my voice. It was totally calm, and scarily hollow.

"You seemed to have everything in hand. I didn't want to interrupt." He said seriously. "Blanket?"

I took it and wrapped it around myself. Doggy had my bag in his mouth. He led the way out of the burning lobby and back onto the rainy street.

There were people out there. The rain had slowed just so slightly that spectators came out to watch the building burn. The people in the hotel had deigned to stay away from the fire at all costs, and were flocking to the phones, probably to call the fire department. Doggy and I got a few stares as we came out of the lobby, but we were dismissed as running customers. Dex moved away from the crowd and disappeared. I'm beginning to think he's antisocial.

I jogged down and alley, wrapping the blanket tighter around myself. My arm was beginning to ache. So were my legs and the fist I'd used to make my argument on the gang member.

Doggy whined up at me.

"Let's go. I don't want to talk to the police."

Somehow I get the feeling that police are no longer my primary problem. A girl that fights alongside a dog and wipes the floor with arsonists?

Yeah, that doesn't scream mutie.

I think I've gotten myself into trouble again.

* * *

Please leave your reviews and thanks for reading!

Asteria: Maybe there will be conflict. I can't tell you yet-it would spoil the surprise. Hope you liked the chapter!


	5. The Talk of the Town

A/N

Yay! Quick update! Hope you all enjoy, I'll try to keep updating quicker for a few weeks for everyone.

* * *

"Damn this hurts." I swore under my breath, trying to tie the bandages with one arm. "Grab that strip, Doggy, and hold it."

He leaned in and grabbed the fabric gingerly with his teeth while I repositioned my arm. I took the bandage back and finished the job.

Tying bandages was something I was going to have down to an art soon. I rifled through my bag and pulled out a loose fitting shirt. I could tell by the way the pain was flaring up in my arm that anything tight would be hell to get into, and this shirt would probably hurt too. But I can't walk around in the dark without a shirt on. That was just inviting perverts.

I gritted my teeth as I got the shirt on. Doggy grabbed the edge and pulled it down while I did my best not to aggravate my injury.

I pulled the blanket back over my shoulders and huddled into it for a minute, taking stock of my surroundings.

I had moved to a less populated area of the city to lick my wounds, and I could see why-it was dirty beyond belief. Not my first choice for a first aid stop, but beggars can't be choosers.

"I can't believe North Carolina has a slum like this." I told Doggy. The rain was now down to a light drizzle, but the temperature hadn't risen any.

I let my eyes rove around the street for awhile, then frowned. I looked down at Doggy.

"Is it just me, or does this place look intentionally dirty to you?"

"Uff."

"I thought so. Let's move on, shall we?" I picked my way through the trash, keeping my injured arm as still as possible.

"Uf?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm okay. Had worse. Would've been better if I hadn't have scratched it. Nothing I can do about it now. Let's just find somewhere dry to bed down and hope it looks better in the morning."

Doggy gave a low whine at me, obviously not convinced.

It did hurt. Not for a moment will I be dishonest to myself in this. But so did other portions of my body. My legs. My fists. My back as well. It had compounded to the point where most of my body was a dull ache and my arm was flares of pain.

I'm thinking that my body will just fall apart someday. I abuse it too much.

I'm also beginning to wonder if I hadn't done something wrong in leaving, and this was my karma repaying me. I had a pretty nice life at the Institute and home…

I shook my head hard, scattering that thought. Even if I had stayed I wouldn't have been happy and the predicament I was now in had no bearing on that whatsoever. It was better not to let myself have regret, especially not so early in the game.

I scanned the area through different sets of eyes and finally settled on a promising area.

"There's an apartment with no one inside of it-let's camp out there."

Breaking and entering, but hey, it's not like I don't have a record already. Getting lost throughout the USA took care of that.

I motioned Doggy to follow and we walked up to a fire escape- there was two stories between us and the apartment, and the path looked rusty.

"Be careful. You don't know what's been on here." I muttered to him as I started climbing.

Doggy growled and fell in step.

* * *

Eight o'clock am is not a good time to be called into Shion Takeda's office. In fact, no good time is to be called into his office, especially if the person in question is the bearer of bad news.

Shion Takeda watched the man in front of him fluster. He was absolutely still, like a snake eyeing potential prey.

"Mr. Takeda, I mean, sir, I have some unfortunate news to report, since you called me in, and I assume-"

"Assume nothing. Tell me about the hotel."

The messenger gulped and steeled himself. The stack of papers he carried were dangerously close to falling. "It's totally burned down sir. The Red Fire Gang is suspected. Losses amount to almost one point five million dollars, sir. No casualties have been reported, though. We can be thankful that no wrongful death suits are coming our way."

"I'm sure we can." Mr. Takeda said darkly. "Get out."

The messenger left his papers quickly on the edge of the desk and fled.

Shion Takeda pulled the papers closer to him and leafed through them. Same old tactics. Burn and run.

He paused and picked up a photograph from one of the security cameras outside the hotel. Most of the footage had been blocked due to the heavy rain.

Interesting. Usually, the Red Fire Gang didn't set their own members on fire.

He filed that thought away for safekeeping.

He began to read through a report of the gang's movements. As usual, the movements were totally random and unpredictable. He was beginning to get the sneaking suspicion that someone was trying to pull the wool over his eyes.

He didn't like that idea. Not one bit.

He had been in the business for almost fifteen years. He had illegitimate operations alongside legitimate businesses and had stayed on top of a three state syndicate since he was twenty-five.

He didn't like to think he was almost forty.

Things were going rapidly downhill now, and he could lose his hold on the empire it took him so long to create. His reputation was being tarnished. Other empires were looking at him with hungry eyes. He could lose everything.

All to a bunch of punks playing with fire.

Shion Takeda slowly crumpled the paper he'd been reading.

* * *

"Did you hear? The Red Fire Gang struck again!"

"Yeah, I heard they burned down one of the Black Rattler's hotels."

"Don't they know they're playing with death? He ever catches 'em, they'll be dead for sure."

Giana watched the boys outside her window talk excitedly while she smoked. Her lover, Joe, was shaving in the bathroom in the next room.

"They should worry more about their own neighborhood." She told him.

"I thought you controlled this city." Joe asked playfully over his shoulder.

"I do. But street reputation is going down the toilet with these new guys. They're marching around on my turf. Makes me look incompetent."

"That's bad?" He asked leaning out.

"Yes." She sighed. "That's bad. That means other gangs will try to move in on me, thinking I'm weak. It's a lot of trouble I don't need. I have enough trouble with the Rattler's boys."

"Can't you just make a truce and live with it?"

She loved the man. He was so simple at times.

"That's not how it works. Besides, his lawyers are better than mine. His lawyers don't do dry cleaning as a second job." She stretched her back a little. "And then there's the other problem."

"What?"

"The muties, of course. We got the top, they got the bottom and every single crack they can fit themselves into. They've been getting bolder too. Robbing on our turf. Things don't calm down soon…" She glanced over at the gun on the table. "…it'll get dicey."

"Will you be alright?" He asked with genuine concern, peering at her with half the shaving cream still on.

She had to stop herself from laughing at him. "Yeah, it'll be okay. Waiting's a pain in the ass though. It has to be the worst part, knowing the whole thing's gonna blow and only being able to wait."

She laughed. All that was left was time.

* * *

I woke up to someone staring me in the face. His nose was mere centimeters from mine.

"Sleep well, pretty one?"

"Where did you run off to last night?" I asked while moving my head back. I was sleeping on a couch, so there wasn't a lot of room to do that.

"I was looking about with interest."

"Find anything?"

"Not at all. It appears to be the work of The Red Fire Gang, or something of that nature. They attacked our little love nest."

"We don't have love nests."

"But wouldn't everything be better if we did?"

"Get away from me, Dex. I'm not in the mood for your little speeches about love or you proclaiming yours."

"I know that's your arm talking. How is it, by the way?"

"It's fine. What part of 'get away' don't you understand?"

He tsked. "Crabbiness does not suit your beautiful demeanor. Would you like me to kiss you and make you feel better?"

"There is a dog at the edge of the couch that would love an excuse to go after you. Do you really want to provoke him?"

He pouted and withdrew.

I struggled upright and looked around blearily. My arm still stung under the bandages, but I had slept fairly deeply. There was sunlight filtering through the window.

"How did you find me, Dex?"

"My love brought me to you."

"Are you ever listening to yourself?"

"I try not to. I don't want to lose synch." He said seriously. I had to laugh.

Doggy grumbled to himself. I leaned over the side of the couch and patted his head.

"We'd better get out of here. Who knows when the people who own this place will be back."

"Where will we go?" Dex asked as he looked out the window.

"Are my ears deceiving me or did you actually put in a serious thought about the future?"

"All my thoughts are serious, especially the ones about you." He said suggestively. I rolled my eyes.

"Dream on."

"I will and it will be…Are these friends of yours?" He asked, pointing out the window.

I walked up to the window overlooking the fire escape and looked down.

I might be mistaken, but the creatures below my window look like mutants. What with the odd body shapes and the one that looked like big bat creature.

"Mutants." I said quietly. They seemed to be signaling one another through hand signals. "I wonder what they're doing here."

Dex looked at me curiously. "Didn't you sense them beforehand or something?"

"No…I was asleep until you woke me up. I just have dreams of animal speech and that comes from everywhere-" I stopped and stared at his eyes.

Why is blue on blue so familiar?

He snapped his fingers in front of my nose. "As exciting as that look is, this seems an inappropriate time."

"All times are inappropriate around you." I said haughtily and turned back to the window.

The mutants were looking at my window.

Scratch that, they were looking at me.

What a time not to be attending to animal voices. I started opening up my mind to the strands of voices from songbirds outside my window.

"We've been found out. Dex?" I looked around-he was nowhere in the apartment. "How does he do that?"

The mutants were climbing the escape now. They didn't appear to be overly hostile, so I decided to open a window to talk.

"Talking can't hurt, right?" I asked Doggy.

He just growled.

* * *

Thank you all so much for reading!

Asteria: Hope this chapter gives you a bit of a hint on your question. Hope you like this one as well! Thanks for sticking with me even though my updates are sporadic!

Suz: Well thank you! I'm really glad you left me a review and told me what you thought, it made my morning. Even if you don't review, I hope you keep on enjoying the story. Thank you very much!

Please leave whatever reviews you may have in the box!


	6. Soothsayer sham?

A/N

Sorry about the delay, I really wanted to get this up at least two weeks ago, but got put on the backburner because of work. I hope you enjoy the chapter anyway!

* * *

"You're not running away-you must be the mutant we're looking for."

"Say what?" I asked. Doggy's head was between me and an orange mutant. Not just any orange. Road cone, 'look at me' sort of orange.

"The Soothsayer said that a new mutant arrived in town yesterday, and that she needed help. He said we would find her in an apartment, and well, here you are."

"Help? I don't need help."

"Your arm is bandaged."

"It's just a little burn."

"Then you were burned by the vagabonds last night? For shame! The Soothsayer said the new mutant would be harmed."

"This Soothsayer has a lot to say, doesn't he?"

"She. And yes. We would be lost without her."

I thought I saw the bat mutant roll his eyes at this, but I didn't say anything.

"So." I eyed the mutant before me. He was dressed shabbily, and even his hair was an orange color- a shade lighter than his body. His companions, the large bat mutant with black tips on his ears, and a girl with long blonde hair and pure black eyes, were dressed much the same way. "Why are you so intent on finding me, anyway?"

"The Soothsayer allows everyone into our fold. We bring in the lost mutants so they may live with us in harmony and peace."

"How…nice. I'm flattered, but I'm afraid that I'm only passing through."

"You wish to find a home, is what the soothsayer said."

"Oh really?" I said raising an eyebrow.

"Come join us. The Soothsayer said you should stay with us awhile, just to be amongst your own kind for once. She said you have not been traveling amongst mutants for quite awhile."

Strike one. I haven't left the Institute that long ago.

"She said all that, hunh? Well, who would I be to refuse such a kind offer?" I said, plastering on the sincerest smile I could.

I'll admit, I am a bit curious. I'd met Evan of the Morlocks before, and most of the Morlocks under…dubious circumstances. Seeing another bunch of mutants might not be so bad.

Besides, the Soothsayer had caught my curiosity. If she could tell all these things, she was probably a powerful psychic or a sham artist. My thoughts were on the latter from the orange boy's last statement. And I can't stay in other peoples' apartments forever.

"Mind if I bring my dog?"

"Is it trained?"

"He. And best trained dog I ever met." I said patting Doggy on the head.

"Very well. Come! Join our group." He excitedly beckoned me out. The other two went down the fire escape.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and climbed out the window. Doggy followed.

The orange mutant stood at my side and began chattering nonstop about how great the Soothsayer was and how much I would like living in the group. After a few minutes I tuned him out and began listening to my other frequencies.

That's strange. I hadn't felt it before, but there's a lot of tension in this city. The animals are feeling it everywhere. It must have something to do with the fire last night.

I wish I knew more about what was going on.

* * *

"Hey boss."

"Hey."

"Hiya."

"Hey girl, how's it?"

"Good morning ladies. It's ten o'clock. Some of you had to get up early. Tough. We need to have a talk." Giana surveyed the members of her gang.

The gang was entirely made up of women, anywhere from shy bookwormish looking types to hard core drinkers. All of them wore a tattoo on their left shoulders of a skull with earrings. The gang sigil.

Rackets, thefts, and peddling stolen goods were their venues of choice. Not a lot of people expected a pack of women to start causing trouble, and that always got them in trouble. Not expecting something to happen was a good way for it to start.

"So is this about our 'Red Fire Gang'?" One of the girls sitting asked. She was a junior member.

"You're a sharp one, sparky." Giana put her hands on her hips. "What we have here is a failure to communicate. I said I wanted that gang found, and yet we have neither hide nor hair to show for it. Can anyone tell me why that is?"

"We can't find them. When we find a trail, it's always a couple days old!"

"I say the chinaman Shion is in on it." One girl said, flipping her braid over her shoulder. Anna was her name.

"He's burning his own buildings down? I don't think so." Another waved it away. That was Sheila- she was always the one to bring Anna back down to earth.

"It's a conspiracy! He hires a gang, burns the buildings down so we get nervous and attack the gang, and then we fight and kill each other and our turf becomes his!" Anna insisted.

"Then why, everytime that we see him, he looks fit to be tied? He's furious! He wants the gang gone as much as we do."

"And how will he do it? By making it kill us while having us kill them!"

Giana rubbed her temple. Anna's conspiracy theories were sometimes a little out there, but this time she had a bit of truth to her words. Shion wasn't a nice guy, and if he thought that something would help push her gang off, he'd probably do it. But he was having his own problems. His enemies were just as dangerous as hers, probably more because they had financial backing. And he was getting older. She had often heard the old ones had to be wily if they were going to stay on top. And never mess up.

The fires would be seen as messing up.

"Let's stay away from Shion. He's not in on this, I can pretty much guarantee it." Giana said, silencing the two before they could get into a fist fight. "He stands too much to lose."

Anna was silent for a moment, then looked up. "What about the muties? I mean, if Shion loses too much, what do they have to lose? They've been moving in on our turf already!"

Murmurs started up in the other girls. It was a plausible explanation. But a dangerous one.

"Think about it, they have below…maybe they want to come up and take over the city and make it a mutie city!" Anna went off.

"Calm down." Giana allowed her voice to boom over the murmurings. "The last thing we need is to charge blindly into something. Think. Mutants are called mutants because they have powers. We need bargaining chips before we even go over there or we may end up fried in a ditch somewhere." She tapped he chin. "Even so, we may end up doing more harm if they're not in on it. We don't want to mess up the peace."

"They're already messing up the peace by stealing on our turf!" One girl snapped. There were a few nods in the group. That wouldn't do.

"Shut up. Do you want to have a little side chat with me?" Giana growled at the girl. The girl paled and looked down. "Besides, we don't want to mess up and attack the wrong people. I want to see some mutant contacts. Bribe them out with food or something. If we can talk to a few, we can see if they have anything to do with the Red Fire Gang. On the flipside, Jenny, Rae, I want you to contact some of Shion's men. Get a message through that I would like to compare notes. Maybe he'll be acquiescing. Maybe not. Keep a sharp eye out. His men may be feeling antisocial."

She glared around at the room. "What are you waiting for? Get out there and search!"

The girls moved to get out. Giana made sure to glare pointedly at the girl who had snapped at her. No one snapped at her in her own meetings.

The girl didn't meet her eyes.

When the last girls had left, Giana went to the window and lit a cigarette. It was her fifth in two hours. No quitting this week.

She really hated waiting.

* * *

I don't think the Morlocks have this many mutants. It's like some sort of underground city.

Lights were strung in lines across the walls, illuminating the ground enough so that the mass of mutants walking wouldn't trip. Catwalks spanned across the upper parts of several caverns, covered in the prostrate forms of sleeping mutants. There were even a few shops stuck against the wall, selling meds and other items. The prices were cut throat.

As I was taking it all in, someone tugged on my jacket sleeve. I looked down to see a little boy, with fish like gills and scales across his nose. He held his hands up to me. It took me a few seconds to realize that he was begging food or money off of me. I gave him a cereal bar I bought at one of the bus stops. He practically skipped away.

"Kindness is wasted on them." The orange mutant took my arm. It took a great deal of willpower not to slap his hand off of me. "The Soothsayer lets them stay, even though they don't honor and respect her as they should. Come, you must meet her. I have the feeling that you will stay if you meet her. The tunnels ahead lead to the inner sanctum, where she and her followers live."

As he pulled me through the crowd, I noticed the other two mutants that had been with us stopped to talk with some of the other mutants. We soon left them behind.

I'm beginning to have serious reservations about this.

Pretty soon we ended up in the inner sanctums, which were far less crowded, and full of sycophantic mutants like orangey. I began to feel distinctly uncomfortable.

The sanctums were cleaner than the main caverns, in just about every respect. There were no shops. I have a feeling shops wouldn't be welcome. I also have a feeling quite a few things wouldn't be welcome. I have a third feeling that I may end up being part of that list.

My orange guide stopped at a ridiculously ornate door. I rose my eyebrow at the flowing birds on the door. Birds with tails that long wouldn't be flying. Especially not if the tail was also carrying crowns and goblets. But there they were.

The orange mutant rose his hand to knock on the door, but just before he did, a booming voice called from within.

"Enter, New Mutant!"

I shot a glance at the orange mutant, whom I still didn't know the name of. He looked at the door and his hand in awe.

I was unimpressed. Professor Xavier could do that, and had done that on many occasions. Heck, he could scream at your mind to get in his office if you were over two miles away. I know this from personal experience.

The orange mutant moved reverentially from the door and beckoned me to open it. I shrugged and jerked my head to Doggy. He got the idea and fell in step behind me.

I opened the door. It groaned loudly. A quick flicker of information from termites in the door told me that the door wasn't aligned correctly, probably on purpose. Just to make the door open loudly. It was a simple trick. Would have been better if the door opened without a sound. More dramatic than a loud groaning noise like the door was dying.

I stepped inside the darkened room. Doggy stuck by my side and sneezed at the incense in the air. The door slammed shut behind me.

I frowned at the darkened space in front of me. Mr. Logan put us through scarier stuff, but I still didn't like the noise of the door slamming behind me. If anything, it annoyed me. Someone was trying to intimidate me, and I didn't appreciate it one bit.

"Welcome child." A deep throaty voice directly in front of me spoke. "Come here, allow me to light a candle and get a look at you."

More intimidation tactics. We'll see who wins in this little encounter.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Asteria: Trouble attracting isn't one of her powers. At best, it's probably just a knack. But I hope it doesn't come out too anime-ish, that's not what I was going for. I hope you like the chapter! Sorry for slow update!

Please leave reviews when you leave! Constructive criticism, as always, is greatly appreciated.


	7. Always a catch

A/N

Quick update! I hope this makes up a bit for my last one being so slow. Please enjoy!

* * *

The candle flared up in front of me, revealing painted eyes and hair piled atop the head of a seated woman. She gestured to a cushion in front of her, ornate and uncomfortable. I sat down on it. 

It was really uncomfortable.

Doggy sat behind me. I took a moment to take in my surroundings.

The light was so dim it didn't hit the walls of the room. Instead, it lit the area we were in, giving off the illusion that we were in a separate, mystical place.

Good effects. I have to say I'm impressed by the ingenuity.

She sat on cushions higher than my own, giving her a more dominant position. I had to crane my head up to see her, and that was uncomfortable. Then again, that's probably the idea. Uncomfortable people are more prone to nervousness, more prone to mistakes.

There was a round table in front of us, with tea and water on it. Doggy caught a scent and filtered it to me- there was coffee somewhere else in the room.

After allowing my eyes to sweep the room, I settled on her.

She wore robes, gray in color, sometimes shimmering silver if she turned to the light just right. Her face was a deathly white, most likely paint. Her painted eyes had red streaks underneath them, traveling to her temple. The hair piled on top of her head was braided in and out of a crown like hat.

"I'm so glad you decided to come." She said, pouring a glass of water and handing it to me. "You are not favored to tea, correct?"

"Water's fine." I took the glass and set it in front of me. I ignored it after that.

"Your dog is very large."

"You should see the other two."

"I see." She took a sip of her tea. "I suppose we should get down to introductions. I am the Soothsayer."

"Danny. And this is Doggy."

"I see. And your power, does it have some impact on him?"

"I'd rather not discuss that." I said aloofly.

She considered this for a moment, then let it go. "Have you been traveling long?"

"Not really."

"I see. Where do you come from?"

"Aren't you supposed to know?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She smiled at me. "Being a Soothsayer does not entitle one to know everything. If it did, I would be the Omniscient One. But I can tell you are on the defensive. Why don't you ask me a few questions? You seem like the inquisitive type."

"Alright. Why is this city drowning in tension?"

She coughed a bit. I think I said that as she was swallowing more tea. She shot a look at me. "Why would you say such a thing?"

"Because it's true. It's practically rising from the sidewalk. Last night I was almost burned alive by someone throwing bottles of who knows what through windows. That kind of thing doesn't happen everyday."

"This is true." She paused for a minute, dabbed her mouth with a napkin, and then looked at me. "You were harmed in their attack, and I am very sorry. But they have nothing to do with us."

"People who go around committing violent acts of arson should be just about everyone's problem, I should think." I said sagely, allowing myself to lean back a little on Doggy.

"It is a problem for those above. The two rival gang lords have nothing to do with our well gotten peace. They know not to tread here and we respect them the same courtesy." She said, folding the napkin with slight force.

Liar. She is so lying. She has to be. There are too many mutants down here, and I saw no farms or processing plants or even so much as a toaster. They have to get their food from somewhere. If they aren't treading, she most certainly is.

"I believe we have talked enough today. Please stay as long as you wish in the outer chambers."

Yep. Right about not being welcome in the inner sanctum.

"For your own good, Danny, do try to stay out of trouble. The problem of above has nothing to do with you. You can be safe if you stay here. Oh, and I very much would like to talk again, perhaps three days from now. I believe we will have much to discuss then."

I glanced at Doggy about that statement. He looked back blankly. I got up and headed for the door, with him right behind.

"It was good meeting you, Danielle Nesmond."

I didn't even pause at her words, just kept walking. I reached the door, opened it, let Doggy out, and let the door slowly groan shut behind me.

I walked past the orange mutant as he reached his hand up for a greeting, so happy to see me return. I kept my face carefully neutral as I allowed Doggy to lead me back out into the masses of mutants in the outer chambers.

Only then did I allow myself to start fuming.

She was trying to put me on edge. She had wanted to see me hesitate, and I was still none the wiser about what was going on in this city. And my arm was starting to hurt again.

Oh, she was intimidating. She had a lot of parlor tricks. Ones that could be easily duplicated. But my name wasn't one of them. She must have some psychic power. Not to read minds. If she were reading minds I'd know. So it has to be something else.

"Let's find a quiet place to think, Doggy." I began roaming the crowds until I found some stairs. I climbed them and found myself on a catwalk. I carefully stepped over any sleeping bodies until I found another set of stairs.

These metal stairs led up into a different cavern, one full of pockets and little rooms. Some mutants were sparring on the floor. Or fighting, it looked kind of rough.

I left the sparring ground to hole myself into a little pocket on the wall. It was difficult for Doggy to get up there, but when he did, he lay across my legs with his head on my hip and watched me.

I was still fuming.

_I find it difficult to believe that arsonists are not their problem._ I muttered mentally at Doggy. He closed his eyes and feigned sleep. He probably figured seeing me talk to him might tip people off. I kept my eyes on a point on the wall. _I also find it difficult to believe that boundaries are being maintained. How much you want to bet that the reason everyone is so upset has to do partially with boundaries? I mean part of it is the fire, but the other is boundaries. Someone is stepping on someone else's toes._

I tapped my hands on his collar. I was so deep in thought that, if Doggy had not been lying on my legs, I would have jumped out of my skin when someone popped up right beside me.

"Can I change places with him?" Dex asked winningly. Once I got who he was referring to (said 'who' was growling) I glared at him.

"No."

"I thought so." He said with a defeated sigh. "You really know how to break a man's heart."

He scooted closer to me, shot a grin at Doggy when he moved his head, and laid his head on my shoulder. I glared at him.

"Will you please get off?"

"How did your talk with the Soothsayer go?"

"I came out mad as hell." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "She's purposefully trying to intimidate me."

"I see. And is it working?"

"She's intimidating, but I'm not going to let her walk all over me. She's got a lot of tricks, but they're just tricks."

"What about what's not a trick? Figure out what her mutation is yet, pretty one?"

"Not yet. But I will." I allowed my finger to resume tapping, this time on my other elbow. "…Say, Dex…"

"Yes, O beautiful star?"

"Cut the beautiful star crap. I'm being serious. I need your help."

"Oh?" He tilted his head to look into my eyes. "You might want to be careful-my help doesn't come for free, you know."

"You helped me those other times."

"I was being paid else wise." He said with a grin.

"Your boss, the hooded man."

"I have no master."

"I have no time to argue with you about this."

"What's the hurry?"

"I have three days. I want to have as much information as possible to have on my side when I talk to the Soothsayer again."

"So you're going to talk to her again?"

"Yes."

"Why?" He asked, examining me.

"She said my full name. I only gave her my nickname. She was using it to frighten me. I'm not going to back down from that."

"She may be manipulating you."

"That's why I want your help."

"Doing what?"

"Spying on the Soothsayer. If I can't sense you until you're right next to me, and Professor Xavier didn't sense you when you dropped that note off in my room, then you'd probably be able to sneak around her without any worries about getting caught."

"What will you be doing?"

"Gathering info on what's going on above in the city. Can you feel the tension? The city will tear itself apart."

"Why not use your own spying on her?"

"That won't work; there are practically no animals in her rooms. And none that can help me listen to her."

"Why do you care? Why not let them tear themselves apart? I haven't been here long, but gangs don't have a good light here. Wouldn't it be better to let them destroy themselves?" His voice purred into my ear.

I stopped and thought about it. I had no personal stake in this. These were just a bunch of strangers, some with dubious motives. As I considered, the answer floated at the top of my mind.

"I feel compelled to know what's going on. And I feel compelled to try and stop it. The overall feel I get from this city, from the pit of these caverns to the top of those buildings up there, is sick. This place is sick, and if it doesn't get better, a lot of people could die."

"Ah. A visionary."

"No…" I tilted my head. "Visionaries see something new and change everything to fit it. I'd settle for less tension."

"I see."

"What's the payment? I want to know before I commit."

"Hmm…" He removed his head from my shoulder. "Using my power to your ends, calculate the risk factor involved…"

"Risk factor?"

"Getting caught."

"You shouldn't have to worry about-"

"I'm not worried about the Soothsayer." He said bluntly before I could finish the sentence.

I raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What are you worried about?"

"Straight answers are an extra fee." He said calmly. I blinked in surprise. Usually when he dodges my questions he isn't so serious.

His calmness disappeared almost immediately, and it was replaced by that smile. "Your fee for my service is my obedience."

"What?" I was totally confused.

"You have to take me in as your servant."

A warning bell went off in my head. "What exactly does that entitle?"

"I get to follow you around everywhere, you give me orders, and I follow them. And I stay with you for as long as you wish."

"There's a catch."

"There always is." He smile got wider.

"What is it?" I said, glaring at him.

"I can't tell you."

"Yes you can. You're just being annoying."

"No." He sobered up quickly. "I can't. I'm bound."

"By what?"

"I can't tell you that either."

"Your honesty frightens me." I said, eyeing him.

"I can understand that." He said, nodding.

I was faced with a dilemma. I could take him in as a servant, which wasn't appealing in the least. I didn't want anyone indentured to me. But then I would have a spy on the Soothsayer. But I would also have whatever catch he couldn't talk about. That made me nervous.

"When does this catch happen?"

"Anytime a few weeks or months or even years after I enter your service." He replied.

I tapped my fingers on my jaw. "What happens if I say yes?"

"You get my sigil. And you get me."

I let my hands tap awhile, and then looked at Doggy. He looked back at me steadily. I got the idea: it was my decision.

"Can I let you go afterwards?"

"Whenever you want." I thought I heard a hitch of uneasiness in his voice, but it was so faint, my ears could be playing tricks on me.

"Then yes. I accept your terms."

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! 

Asteria: I hope the Soothsayer didn't disappoint! And yes, I do write original work. On fictionpress, my screen name is Dahk Wit. The one being updated now is the Villains story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and you stop by to check my other work! Your input would be appreciated!

Please leave your reviews in the review box!


	8. Sigil

A/N

I'm trying to keep the updates up! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Where, exactly, did you get the feathers? I'm not going to have to calm down some poor hawk am I?"

"If anyone could calm down hawks, it would be you, pretty one." He said distractedly.

Dex was painting symbols down my burned arm. All of them were ones I didn't recognize. When he said that his sigil would be on this arm, I was a little nervous. I mean, I had no idea would being 'given' his sigil actually entailed. How much more could this arm take?

The burns were still very evident. And even though it was a feather, the symbols he painted on stung like hell.

I shifted a little and leaned against Doggy. We had all found a private place in one abandoned tunnel that was apart from the usual pathways of the cavern. The light was deemed suitable for Dex, who, from out of nowhere, whipped out all the apparent ingredients for sigil-giving.

Which apparently were dark brown feathers and white paint.

He turned my hand so the palm faced up and began putting little dots down. There were six in a v-shape, followed by four arranged in a step-down fashion. Then he placed a tiny dot in the center of all the others.

"Are you ready?" He asked, finally looking at me in the face.

"Is this going to hurt?" I asked a little apprehensively. This was my injured arm.

"Yes. But it will be over with in seconds." He said with a smile. "I'll kiss you and make you feel better afterwards."

"Don't push your luck." I deadpanned. "I'm ready."

He put the feather he'd been painting with down and picked up a longer feather. "These aren't from hawks, you know. They're from something else."

"Oh?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"They're from a creature called a Trope. Tropes aren't very shy, but they're rare. They like to eat animals with hooves, so anyone riding a horse around them has to lose a ride. Or lead another horse and hope they don't meet another Trope. Tropes are famous because they sleep on magic fountains, a lot like the blue butterflies that like you so much. The magic soaks into their feathers and produces powerful mediums."

"And you are telling me this…why?"

He stabbed me.

WITH A FEATHER.

I gasped as the blood began seeping out around the buried point of the feather. He had driven it in deep. I could feel wetness on the back of my hand. It must have gone all the way through.

And it hurt.

I felt my breath catch as I gasped. The pain was horrendous. I couldn't move my fingers.

Another feathered point moved into my vision and dipped into the blood pooling on my palm. I looked up at Dex. He was mumbling something as he worked. He retracted the bloody feather he was holding and let it lay across the palm of his hand. Before my eyes it dried up and curled, turning to ash. He nodded, as if satisfied, then took the last clean feather and scratched the palm that was covered in feather ash.

It was the first time I ever saw him bleed. It was so dark of a red it almost was black, and he allowed the blood to soak the point of the feather he held.

Then he stabbed me again, only this time in the shoulder, where the first symbol began.

I gritted my teeth. The pain was awful. Doggy had started to whine and pressed his cold nose on my side.

Then, a sudden coolness started at the top of my arm. I looked down and saw the burn and the symbols disappearing before my eyes. The feather fell out of my shoulder. As the coolness moved, it was as there was something under my skin moving with it. It didn't feel malevolent, or even dangerous. Just cool to the touch.

As the coolness got down to my wrist, Dex leaned forward and pulled the feather out of my hand. I gasped and the sudden pain, but the coolness reached my palm and the wound and rest of the burn sealed up.

Then my palm got hot. The dots Dex had painted on my hand flared up red for a moment, and then the coolness came again, leaving a tiny array of black dots on my palm. Those stayed for about a second, and then faded as well.

"Congratulations. You're my boss." He said with a slight grin. The brown feather started turning to ash where they lay around us. "It's too bad they're only good for one time ceremonies."

I slapped him on the cheek.

"Why the HELL didn't you tell me I was going to get stabbed!"

"You didn't ask." He actually looked very hurt.

"Next time tell me what you're going to do first!"

"It would have hurt if you tensed up!" He protested, rubbing his cheek.

"It hurt anyway!" I hissed angrily. "And what's up with my arm? Why did it heal up like that?"

"I was doing you a favor." He said sulkily. "Trope feathers heal up any injury they find as part of their magic. I thought by doing it on your injured arm you would be grateful when you didn't have the burn anymore."

I twitched. There was not enough communication between the two of us. But I wasn't as angry anymore. And he did heal up the burn. And I was starting to feel bad. I think that slapping him really hurt his feelings.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted. We humans don't do this magic stuff very often, so we get freaked when we get some." I sighed. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

It was amazing to see how fast he perked up. One second he was sitting, rubbing his cheek, looking forlorn, and the next he was smiling and invading my personal space again.

"You know…" He winked at me suggestively. "Now that you have my sigil, you can tell me to do anything you want."

He leaned in very close, lips almost touching my ear. He purred, "Is there anything you want, beautiful one?"

I felt the blood rush to my face and the blush taking over. I leaned away from him so that I could look him in the face.

"Spy on the Soothsayer."

"Oh." His face fell comically and he pouted. "You're no fun. Here I am, your faithful servant of love, and you want me to spy on another woman. I feel as if you're trying to incite me to cheat. Very well!" He was up on his feet in an instant. "I will take this challenge and tell you everything I find while steadfastly not cheating on you with her!"

"How can you cheat on me with her if she's not supposed to know you're there?" I asked, having to smile in spite of myself.

"That's what makes it easy." He swooped down and planted a kiss on my cheek, then dashed off.

Doggy growled at the tunnel where Dex had run off.

"He's a handful. Help me get these bandages back on." I motioned to the heap of bandages at my side.

Doggy cocked his head and looked at me questioningly.

"Sympathy." I told him as I began wrapping my now unburned arm up. "Who wants to beat up on some poor burned girl?"

Doggy thumped his tail in approval.

"We're going to go mingle in the crowd. Let's see how much Intel we can gather about 'the problems of above'." I said as I wrapped the rest of my arm with his help. "The Soothsayer says that we're removed, but I'll bet you dog treats that's not true. Let's see what dirt we can dig up about her, too."

Doggy woofed in agreement.

* * *

"Double the reward."

"That won't work- we already have two hundred grand on the market anyway. Some people turn in their grandmothers for one!"

The voices rose and fell around Shion as he allowed his eyes to move from speaker to speaker. He stopped for a moment to blink and mentally shake off fatigue. Losing empires is a good way to lose sleep as well.

"Maybe it's Giana and her pack of little girlfriends." One man said nastily off to his left. It was counteracted by the colder voice of a woman.

"I'm sure Giana and her gang have better things to do than commit arson. And last time I checked, she wasn't stupid enough to challenge Mr. Takeda on his own turf."

"People change." The man defended.

"But habit and carefulness rarely do. The mutants are more plausible."

"Oh no." A man down the table interjected. He was round bodied and bald. "The mutants wouldn't be that stupid, either. A spring three years back should still be on their minds. Besides, haven't we already decided it was a new gang? We shouldn't be stepping backwards."

"He's right." A younger man agreed. The blonde woman next to him nodded.

"We should look at your enemies, Mr. Takeda." She said. Gathering up a large bunch of files from the side of her chair, she let them fall on the table where Shion and his lieutenants sat. "It may take awhile."

"Good luck with that." The man with the nasty voice commented.

The blonde glared at him. "At least I make an effort to help instead of sitting on my lazy ass and making snarky comments."

Shion let his finger travel to his temple. Any day Sonya started swearing was going to end in a bad day. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon.

"Help? This isn't help, this is bookwork. If Mr. Takeda really thought staring at files would help, he would've ordered you to!"

"He DID!" She snapped back angrily.

Shion was getting a headache.

The man with the nasty voice looked thoroughly chagrined. He kept shooting side glances at Shion. Shion ignored him.

Instead, he got up and dusted an imaginary speck from his sleeve, then surveyed his people.

"Look into the old informants. See if they know anything about this. If you've talked to them already, talk again, but more…in depth. Any information you get, however trivial, is to be told to me immediately."

Then he walked out the door.

It was an unspoken rule that when he walked out, meetings were over. He could hear the shuffling of paper and the whispered hisses as his people left to do their respective duties.

He walked carefully down the hall. He was up on the twentieth story of his building, which only totaled thirty-five stories. It wasn't the highest he owned, but it was one he most found himself in.

He got into the elevator. The only weakness he allowed himself was the clenching of his fist as the elevator dropped. By the time it had reached its destination, his hands were no longer clenched.

His driver was waiting for him in the parking lot. He got in and allowed himself to be driven home early.

When he got to his home, he bid his driver good night, gave him the rest of the day off. He went into his house, and was greeted by one small cat that had come with the house and that he couldn't seem to get rid of. He ended up giving it food so that it would stop mewling at him, and climbed the stairs to his bedroom.

He could not remember when he last felt so tired. It was the heavy mental fatigue of too much stress, one that couldn't be cured by sleep alone.

Shion undressed partially and lay down on his bed. He knew that if he slept, it would be fitful, and he would awake in a foul temper.

Considering the circumstances, his temper would be quite justified.

He fell asleep very quickly after that thought.

* * *

Please leave your reviews in the box!

Asteria: Actually, Dex's story will come out more after this one. I'm planning on having his story as a sort of sequel to this one when it's finished. It'll be about what exactly the 'catch' is. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter and hope you enjoy this one as well!

Thanks for reading!


	9. Never Covert

A/N

I apologize for the wait. I got caught up in work and class again. I promise to try and do better! I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

"You seem real interested in things that have nothing to do with you."

"I disagree. I like to see what's going on in a town before I set up shop, ya know?" I gave him a winning smile. "'Sides, it's probably all common knowledge to everyone except me. What's it going to hurt?"

The mutant glared at me and walked off. Apparently my winning personality just came in second place.

I sighed and started taking mental stock of all that had happened.

It was the first day of my self-imposed fact gathering. From what I could tell, there were two rival groups above ground. One was an all girl gang. I ran into a roadblock trying to figure out more. The second was a crime tycoon named Shion. He I had more luck with. Mutants left and right were making bets on how long he'd last. Apparently his empire was not doing so well. No one had anything to say about the 'Red Fire Gang', except to wonder when they would stop harassing the other two groups. Oh, and to praise the Soothsayer's personal militia that made sure nothing bad happened to people below ground.

I don't like the thought of a personal militia. It could be trouble for me.

Interestingly enough, more comments I get (when people don't know I'm listening) is the lack of conveniences. Blankets. Clean beds. Food. Even more interesting is how quickly the tune changes from complaints to compliments when I walk by.

Has something to do with personal militias, I bet.

I patted Doggy on the head and we moved to another area. Mutants were thick in this area, and I began to slink in and out of view to try and listen to bits of conversation.

"….akeda. He should be moving out of this town at any time, you mark my words."

"No, He'll make them burn down all of his estates if he has too. He won't leave."

The two men passed and I couldn't hear anymore.

That was really too bad. It had sounded promising. I slunk over to a wall and sat down. It was amazing all the things one could hear when sitting next to a wall.

Doggy disappeared. He wasn't exactly inconspicuous, so he was giving me space while trying to be close enough to lend some teeth to a bad situation.

"Hear about those X-men? I heard they got into some fight with a big mutant."

So good to know my former roommates are keeping themselves busy.

"I think his name was Juggernaut, right?"

I've heard of him before. Kurt had said the Brotherhood helped them out on that one.

"I think they should just stop." A third voice hissed. "They're drawing attention to us mutants."

"I think they've fought this Juggernaut guy before." The second voice said. "I seem to remember him being in the news, and--."

The conversation was drowned out by loud laughter booming throughout the hall. Mutants tried to inconspicuously make way for the large mutant that walked past. He and two others spread out in the walkways, making it hard for people to stay out of their way.

Not that it wasn't hard enough already. The mutant was big. Muscles were standing out like barrels on his arms. He was really too large to function. So much muscle mass must have made it hard to move.

The other two must have been twins or siblings- they had tinted blue skin and less muscle mass than the guy in front, but as much as I studied them, I really couldn't tell if they were male or female. They had the same half-length brown hair, same gait, same muscles in the same places.

Somewhat behind, and not really part of the group, a lean mutant walked in the center of the walkway, indifferent to everything. He was wearing black pants and a black turtleneck, and walked with a very non-aggressive gait. His black hair went to his shoulders, somewhat ruffled, as if with sudden movements. And he was tall. Not nearly as tall as the other mutants he was tagging along with, but about six feet. Tall enough.

My attention was diverted from the fourth mutant when another mutant tripped over me and fell into the path of the larger mutant leader. The mutant must have been trying to press against the wall and move away, but tripped when they got to me and I didn't move. There were a lot of mutants against the wall. It was bound to happen.

"Don't you have any manners?" The large mutant growled. "We keep you safe and fed, and this is the way you repay us? We're the Soothsayer's army! You could at least stay out of our way."

"I-I'm sorry." The mutant lifted its head. It was a woman, maybe early thirties. Her face and skin were a sharp shade of green. "It won't happen again."

"You'd better not let it happen again. You might get exiled."

The woman bowed her head and tried to scrape away.

"Did I tell you that you could leave?"

"N-no, but I thought-"

"Well you thought wrong. Just for that, I'm taking you to the Soothsayer. She'll straighten you out." He reached for her. She squealed and scrabbled backwards into me.

She tried to get away from me and run. He reached for her.

I stabbed him in the hand with a knife.

He yowled and stumbled back. The woman turned her head to look at me.

"Leave." I said as calmly as I could. She got up and ran away. The mutants up against the wall started making a swift exit after her.

Rats abandoning a sinking ship. Boy, am I screwed.

I got up to my feet. Like lightning, Doggy was there.

"We don't do covert very well, do we boy?" I adjusted my grip on the knife. I was going to need it to get out.

"Woof."

"Who the hell are you?" The big mutant snarled, holding his hand. The two twin mutants adopted scowls, but didn't move in on me. Maybe their purpose was to look pretty.

"Danny. And you?"

"I'm BIG." He said cockily.

"That's nice. Now, is that your real name, or did you just not understand the question?"

He turned purple. He looked pretty funny, and I would have laughed if I didn't think it would put me in a worse situation.

"You're gonna be sorry. Do you know who we are?"

"I've heard."

"AND?"

"And what?"

"You should apologize to me. You stabbed me and you stopped the course of justice." He said pompously as he crossed his arms with some difficulty. "And then, we'll see about how you can pay for your mistake."

I don't like the way he said that. Or what I think he was implying.

His eyes suddenly went up and down my body.

Oh HELL no. To hell with trying to keep the situation in good terms-he crossed the line. I can barely take it from some cute guy from another dimension, I'm CERTAINLY not taking it from him. And I'm going to stop acting like a one-armed mutant too. It's time he was taught a lesson.

"Alright. I'm sorry you're a two-bit creep who thinks he can throw his weight around because he's got some guys at his back and muscles the size of beer kegs. I'm sorry that the Soothsayer has to put up with your crap. And I'm really sorry that I stabbed you in the hand instead of in the face. I only would have had to move a few feet."

His face had been purple. Now it was turning black with rage.

"GET HER!"

He and the twin mutants charged. I charged forward too-I didn't want to get trapped against the wall. I ducked the first punch thrown by BIG. Doggy's eyes saw a punch coming from the first of the twins. No one could have dodged it. They'd never see it coming. Fortunately, I have a dog backing me up. I grabbed the fabric of BIG's shirt and twisted my body. The punch missed me and smashed into BIG's pecs. I kept twisting until I was out of the range of BIG's second punch, then let go of his shirt and slid on the dirt floor out of his punching range. BIG lost his temper with the mutant that punched him and returned the favor by hitting him in the gut before coming after me again.

My first impression of him was right. Way too much muscle mass. If the other two, well, one now-the first blue twin wasn't getting back up…if the other one could stay back, I'd have no problem getting under BIG's guard.

"Doggy! Get Blue!"

He snarled and jumped into the fight, driving the blue mutant up to the wall and keeping him there. BIG had turned to look at the spectacle. I took his distraction as a chance to run at and latch onto his back at full speed. He stumbled as he absorbed my momentum, then began flailing his arms, trying to get at me.

But he is a very large mutant, with muscles that hindered his movement. He couldn't get his arms far behind or far over his head.

I slipped my knife into the back of my pants and held onto his shirt with both hands. He kept on flailing, quickly getting tired.

But he wasn't completely stupid. Any brawler knows that if you get someone on your back you can't shake off, try to find a wall.

Of course, I knew this too.

When he started to back pedal into the wall, I pushed up with my arms and swung my legs up, my feet landing on his shoulders. He hit the wall at full speed, hitting his unprotected back. The force of the collision caused me to fall forward, and I ended up nose to nose with BIG.

His face upside down isn't any prettier.

When he saw me he snarled, but I had already pulled my fist back. I smashed it into his nose. He howled in pain and reached up to grab me. I leapfrogged away from him and landed ungracefully on my side. I rolled up to my knees and stood up.

We stood there glaring at one another.

In the back of my mind, I knew the other mutant twin was crying. Apparently, it was scared of dogs. And Doggy is frightening.

BIG glared at someone behind me. "Are you going to help?"

Behind me, the tall black-haired mutant shook his head. Doggy watched him carefully. I kept my eyes on BIG.

"She seems to be doing fine on her own." The man said dryly. His voice had an accent, very faint. It reminded me of that Piotr guy Kitty was mooning over sometime ago.

"I mean us!" BIG snarled.

"There were three of you and one of her and her dog. You should have been able to defeat her easily. And yet she has you backed against a wall. So much for the Soothsayer's fighting squad. I'll be going now. Here, Danny."

A card appeared over my shoulder. I took it and held it as he stepped back.

"I try to work for people I can grow with. Lately the business has been stagnant. I hope to meet with you again."

He left.

I tucked the card away in my pocket without looking at it. BIG glared at me but didn't seem so sure of himself. He seemed to be mulling over things in his mind.

"We'll deal with you later." He walked off with as much dignity as he could muster. The twins, as soon as the crying one had been released by Doggy to grab its sibling, followed him.

As soon as they were gone, I exhaled and shook my wrist out. I hadn't used my bandaged hand for much except grabbing onto shirts, so the theory that I was still hurt might work, especially since at the end it was only them and me.

Doggy sniffed around my pockets at the card I had been given. I pulled it out to take a look.

"Ivan Korzenki."

Doggy cocked his head to the side quizzically.

"Has a phone number. Not much else. Nice Raven on the card." I put the card away. "We'll hold onto it for now."

I looked up to see some mutants walking back into the hall. All of them had a degree of wariness, but also a degree of interest.

"Maybe now we can get some answers." I said to Doggy. "They look a little more friendly now."

Doggy rolled his tongue out and panted. Some smaller mutants, children, began walking up to him tentatively.

Yeah. Much more friendly now.

* * *

Please leave your reviews! Sorry for the wait!

Asteria: I am drifting from the X-men for awhile until Danny get's more situated in her place. The gang warfare thing is still on the down-low-not a lot of press coverage just for a few cases of arson, but it will get to the ears of the X-men sooner or later. They will show up, probably towards the end of the fic. I hope you enjoy the story even though it's mostly OC. Thanks for reviewing! Sorry for the wait!


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